Display device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To provide a display device and a manufacturing method for the same.SOLUTION: A display device includes a display panel including a display region and a non-display region surrounding the display region, a sealing substrate disposed on the display panel, a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the sealing substrate and bonding the panel and the sealing substrate, and a first fusion region formed in at least a part of a region between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, and not including a physical border as the interface between the sealing member and the sealing substrate. The display panel further includes a metal wiring layer disposed in at least a part of the non-display region. The sealing member is disposed in the non-display region so that at least a part thereof exists on the metal wiring layer. The first fusion region overlaps with the metal wiring layer in a thickness direction and is separated therefrom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Display devices have become increasingly important with the development of multimedia, and various types of display devices, such as Organic Light Emitting Displays (OLEDs) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), are being used.

[0003] The display device includes display panels such as an organic light-emitting display panel and a liquid crystal display panel as a device for displaying an image. The light-emitting display panel may include a light-emitting element, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED), which may be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) that uses an organic material as a fluorescent material, or an inorganic light-emitting diode that uses an inorganic material as a fluorescent material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication WO2011 / 108115A [Patent Document 2] Korean published patent KR10-2019-0055860A [Patent Document 3] International Publication WO2004 / 095597A (JP2006-524419T) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention provides a display device having improved adhesion strength of a sealing member that bonds a display panel and a sealing substrate, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0006] The object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other technical objects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment of a display device for solving the above problem, there is provided a display panel including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, a sealing substrate disposed on the display panel, a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the sealing substrate to bond the display panel and the sealing substrate, and a first fusion area formed in at least a portion of the area between the sealing member and the sealing substrate and in which there is no physical boundary as an interface between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, wherein the display panel further includes a metal wiring layer disposed in at least a portion of the non-display area, at least a portion of the sealing member is disposed on the metal wiring layer in the non-display area, and the first fusion area overlaps and is separated from the metal wiring layer in the thickness direction.

[0008] The first fusion region may be formed by mixing a material constituting the sealing member and a material constituting the sealing substrate.

[0009] The height of the first fused region (a dimension in the thickness direction of the display device) may be greater than the thickness of the sealing member.

[0010] When viewed in cross section of the display device, the first fusion region may include a first portion overlapping the sealing member (a portion positioned to encroach into the region of the original sealing member) and a second portion overlapping the sealing substrate (a portion positioned to encroach into the region of the original sealing substrate), and the maximum width of the first portion may be greater than the maximum width of the second portion.

[0011] At least a portion of the lower surface (the surface on the display panel side) of the sealing member is in direct contact with the metal wiring layer, and can form a first boundary surface where a physical boundary with the metal wiring layer exists.

[0012] At least a portion of the upper surface (the surface facing the sealing substrate) of the sealing member is in direct contact with the sealing substrate, forming a second boundary surface in which a physical boundary with the sealing substrate exists, while no physical boundary exists in the portion where the first fusion region is formed along the extension line of the second boundary surface.

[0013] The first fused region may include a third interface between the first portion and the sealing member and a fourth interface between the second portion and the encapsulation substrate.

[0014] The sealing member may have a thickness in the range of 4.5 μm to 6 μm, and the first portion may have a height in the range of 2 μm to 4 μm.

[0015] The first fusion regions may be formed in a plurality of regions between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, and a width of the first fusion regions may be smaller than a distance between the first fusion regions.

[0016] The first fused region may have a maximum width in the range of 8 μm to 12 μm, and a maximum height in the range of 8 μm to 12 μm.

[0017] The spacing between the first fused regions may be in the range of 50 μm to 100 μm.

[0018] The display panel may further include at least one insulating layer disposed under the metal wiring layer, and at least a portion of a lower surface of the sealing member may be in direct contact with the insulating layer.

[0019] The display panel may further include a second fusion region formed between the insulating layer of the display panel and the sealing member, with no physical boundary therebetween, the second fusion region being spaced apart from the encapsulation substrate.

[0020] The second fused region may include a third portion overlapping the sealing member and a fourth portion overlapping the display panel, and a maximum width of the third portion may be greater than a maximum width of the fourth portion.

[0021] The sealing member may be in direct contact with the insulating layer of the display panel and may include a fifth boundary surface having a physical boundary, and no physical boundary may exist in a portion where the second fusion region is formed along an extension of the fifth boundary surface.

[0022] According to another embodiment of a display device for solving the above problem, the display device includes a first substrate including a display region in which the light-emitting elements are arranged and a non-display region surrounding the display region, a second substrate disposed on the first substrate, a metal wiring layer disposed in the non-display region of the first substrate, a sealing member disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and arranged to surround the display region in the non-display region and overlap the metal wiring layer, and a fusion region formed between the second substrate and the sealing member and being a region where no physical boundary exists, the sealing member including a first extension portion extending in a first direction along the non-display region and a second extension portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a first corner portion bent and connected to the first extension portion and the second extension portion, the fusion region being formed at least in the first corner portion of the sealing member.

[0023] The fused regions may also be disposed on the first extension and the second extension of the sealing member, and a plurality of the fused regions may be formed spaced apart in the first direction and the second direction.

[0024] The fused region may form a closed curve along the sealing member so as to surround the display region.

[0025] The first substrate and the second substrate may include a trench portion having at least one side recessed inward, the sealing member may be disposed along an outer surface of the trench portion, and the fusion region may be formed on the sealing member disposed corresponding to the outer surface of the trench portion.

[0026] A manufacturing method of a display device according to one embodiment for solving the above problem includes the steps of preparing a first substrate having a display area and a non-display area and a second substrate facing the first substrate, bonding the first substrate and the second substrate with a sealing member, and irradiating the sealing member with a laser to form a fused region where no physical boundary exists between the second substrate and the sealing member.

[0027] The focal point of the laser may be set apart from the upper surface of the second substrate, and the distance between the focal point of the laser and the upper surface of the second substrate may range from 0.1 μm to 200 μm.

[0028] The laser can be emitted at a frequency of 1 kHz to 10 MHz for a period of 10 fs (femto-sec.) to 50 ps (pico-sec.).

[0029] The fused region may be located across the sealing member and the second substrate and spaced apart from the first substrate.

[0030] The step of bonding the first substrate and the second substrate may include filling a frit crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate, firing the frit crystal, and then melting the frit crystal to form the sealing member.

[0031] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0032] According to an embodiment, a display device may include a sealing member disposed between a display panel and an encapsulation substrate, and may include at least a fusion region formed between the sealing member and the encapsulation substrate and having no physical boundary therebetween. The sealing member may be disposed to partially overlap a metal wiring layer formed in a non-display region of the display panel, and the fusion region may overlap the metal wiring layer in a thickness direction but be spaced apart from the metal wiring layer.

[0033] The sealing member directly contacts the display panel and the encapsulation substrate to bond them to each other, and at the same time, a fusion region is formed to further improve the bonding strength with the encapsulation substrate.

[0034] The display device according to an embodiment may include a fusion region formed by fusing materials constituting the sealing member and the sealing substrate or the display panel at a boundary between the sealing member and the sealing substrate or the display panel, thereby improving durability against external impact.

[0035] The object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other technical objects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0036] The effects of the embodiments are not limited to the above examples, and various other effects are included in the present specification. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view of a display device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic side view of a display device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic plan view of a display panel according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing one pixel in FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a display device in which a sealing member is disposed, according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a case where a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to an embodiment is disposed; [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III' in FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a display device according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of the display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of the display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of the display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of the display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a display device according to another embodiment. [Figure 18] 18A to 18C are cross-sectional views showing a part of the manufacturing process of the display device of FIG. [Figure 19] 13 is a schematic plan view illustrating a case where a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to another embodiment is disposed; FIG. [Figure 20] 13 is a schematic plan view illustrating a case where a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to another embodiment is disposed; FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a schematic plan view illustrating a case where a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to another embodiment is disposed; FIG. [Figure 22] 13 is a schematic plan view illustrating a case where a fusion region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to still another embodiment is disposed; FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion SDA1 in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic view of the SDA2 portion of FIG. [Diagram 25] 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV' in FIG. 23. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a display device according to still another embodiment. [Figure 27] 27A to 27C are cross-sectional views showing a part of the manufacturing process of the display device of FIG. 26. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be realized in various different forms. The embodiments are provided merely to complete the disclosure of the present invention and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present invention of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0039] When elements or layers are referred to as "on" another element or layer, this includes the case where the element or layer is directly on top of the other element or has other layers or elements interposed therebetween. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.

[0040] Although the terms "first" and "second" are used to describe various components, it is of course not intended that these components be limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, it is of course possible for the first component referred to below to be the second component within the technical concept of the present invention.

[0041] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the display device according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the display device according to an embodiment. In Fig. 3, the display circuit board 300 of the display device 10 is omitted, and only the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 are shown.

[0043] In this specification, the first direction DR1 is a direction aligned with the short side of the flat display device 10, and may be, for example, the horizontal direction of the display device 10. The second direction DR2 is a direction aligned with the long side of the flat display device 10, and may be, for example, the vertical direction of the display device 10. The third direction DR3 may be a thickness direction of the display device 10. In addition, the first direction DR1 may be the right side when the display device 10 is viewed from the third direction DR3, and the opposite direction of the first direction DR1 may be the left side, the second direction DR2 may be the upper side when the display device 10 is viewed from the third direction DR3, and the opposite direction of the second direction DR2 may be the lower side, the third direction DR3 may be the upper side, and the opposite direction of the third direction DR3 may be the lower side.

[0044] 1 to 3, the display device 10 can be applied to various electronic devices such as tablet PCs, smartphones, automobile navigation units, cameras, center information displays (CIDs) provided in automobiles, wristwatch-type electronic devices, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), PMPs (Portable Multimedia Players), small and medium-sized electronic devices such as game consoles, televisions, external billboards, monitors, personal computers, notebook computers, etc. However, these are presented as exemplary embodiments, and it is obvious that the display device 10 can be applied to other electronic devices without departing from the concept of the present invention.

[0045] The display device 10 may be a light-emitting display device such as an organic light-emitting display device using an organic light-emitting diode, a quantum dot light-emitting display device including a quantum dot light-emitting layer, an inorganic light-emitting display device including an inorganic semiconductor, and a micro light-emitting display device using a micro light-emitting diode (LED). Although the following description focuses on a case where the display device 10 is an organic light-emitting display device, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0046] The display device 10 includes a display panel (100, or a first substrate), a display driver 200, a display circuit board 300, a sealing substrate (500, or a second substrate), and a sealing member 700.

[0047] The display panel 100 may be formed in a rectangular plane having a short side in a first direction DR1 and a long side in a second direction DR2 intersecting the first direction DR1. A corner where the short side in the first direction DR1 and the long side in the second direction DR2 meet may be rounded or formed at a right angle. The plane shape of the display panel 100 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be formed in other polygonal, circular, or elliptical shapes.

[0048] The display panel 100 may be formed flat, but is not limited thereto. For example, the display panel 100 may include curved portions formed at the left and right ends, the curved portions having a constant curvature or a varying curvature. In addition, the display panel 100 may be formed flexible so that it can be bent, warped, bent, folded, or rolled.

[0049] The display panel 100 may include a display area DPA and a non-display area NDA. The display area DPA is an area where a screen is displayed, and the non-display area NDA is an area where a screen is not displayed. The display area DPA is also called an active area, and the non-display area NDA is also called a non-active area. The display area DPA generally occupies the center of the display panel 100.

[0050] The display area DPA may include a plurality of pixels PX. The plurality of pixels PX may be arranged in a row and column direction. The shape of each pixel PX may be, but is not limited to, a rectangle or square in a plan view, and may be a rhombus with each side tilted in one direction. The pixels PX may be arranged alternately in a stripe or pentatile pattern. Each pixel PX may include one or more light-emitting elements ("EL" in FIG. 5) that emit light in a specific wavelength band to display a specific color.

[0051] A non-display area NDA may be arranged around the display area DPA. The non-display area NDA may completely or partially surround the display area DPA. The display area DPA may have a rectangular shape, and the non-display area NDA may be arranged adjacent to the four sides of the display area DPA. The non-display area NDA may form a bezel of the display panel 100. Wiring or a circuit driver included in the display panel 100 may be arranged in each non-display area NDA, or an external device may be implemented.

[0052] The display driver 200 outputs signals and voltages for driving the display panel 100. For example, the display driver 200 may supply a data voltage to a data line. The display driver 200 may also supply a driving voltage to a driving voltage line and a scan control signal to the scan driver. The display driver 200 may be formed as an integrated circuit (IC) and attached onto the display circuit board 300. Alternatively, the display driver 200 may be attached to the display panel 100 by a chip on glass (COG) method, a chip on plastic (COP) method, or an ultrasonic bonding method.

[0053] A display circuit board 300 may be disposed in a non-display area NDA at one side edge of the display panel 100. For example, the display circuit board 300 may be disposed in a non-display area NDA at a lower side edge of the display panel 100. The display circuit board 300 may be bent downward of the display panel 100, and the display circuit board 300 disposed on the lower surface of the display panel 100 may have one side edge attached to the lower surface of the display panel 100. Although not shown in the drawings, the display circuit board 300 may be attached and fixed to the lower surface of the display panel 100 by an adhesive member. The adhesive member may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Alternatively, the display circuit board 300 may be omitted, and one side edge of the display panel 100 may be bent downward.

[0054] The display circuit board 300 may be attached onto the display pads of the display panel 100 using an anisotropic conductive film, so that the display circuit board 300 may be electrically connected to the display pads of the display panel 100. The display circuit board 300 may be a flexible printed circuit board, a printed circuit board, or a flexible film such as a chip on film.

[0055] The encapsulation substrate (500, or second substrate) is disposed on the display panel 100. For example, the encapsulation substrate 500 may be disposed to face the display panel 100 at a distance in the third direction DR3, and may be disposed to cover at least the display area DPA of the display panel 100, although its planar area is smaller than that of the display panel 100. The encapsulation substrate 500 may seal the light-emitting element EL and circuit elements disposed on the display panel 100 together with a sealing member 700, which will be described later. In some embodiments, a touch member, a polarizing member, etc. may also be disposed on the encapsulation substrate 500.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the encapsulation substrate 500 may be a transparent plate or a transparent film. For example, the encapsulation substrate 500 may include a glass material, a quartz material, or the like. In some embodiments, the encapsulation substrate 500 and the light-emitting element EL may be spaced apart from each other, and an inert gas, such as nitrogen gas, may be filled between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the light-emitting element EL. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the space between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the light-emitting element EL may be filled with a filler or the like.

[0057] The sealing member 700 may be disposed between the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500. For example, the sealing member 700 may be disposed in the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100 to surround the display area DPA, and may seal the light-emitting element EL and the circuit elements of the display panel 100 together with the encapsulation substrate 500. The sealing member 700 may be disposed on the metal wiring layer MTL disposed in the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100, and may be bonded to the metal wiring layer MTL and the lower surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 by abutting and contacting the same. However, without being limited thereto, the sealing member 700 may not contact the metal wiring layer MTL of the display panel 100, and may bond the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 to each other in an area where the metal wiring layer MTL is not disposed.

[0058] In some embodiments, the sealing member 700 may be a hardened frit. In this specification, "frit" refers to a structure having glass properties formed by melting and hardening powder-type glass, optionally containing additives. The powder-type glass may be disposed between the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500, and then may undergo a firing and melting process to form a frit that bonds the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 to each other. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where the sealing member 700 is a hardened frit.

[0059] Since the sealing member 700 during the manufacturing process of the display device 10 is formed through the processes of baking and melting, the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 can be bonded to each other by physical bonding with the sealing member 700. According to an embodiment, the display device 10 may include a fused region where no physical boundary exists at the boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 or the display panel 100. The sealing member 700 may be bonded to at least the encapsulation substrate 500 by fusion, and may include a fused portion without a physical boundary in addition to a portion where a physical boundary exists at the boundary with the encapsulation substrate 500 or at the boundary between the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500. By including the fused portion, the sealing member 700 may be bonded to the encapsulation substrate 500 or to the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 with a stronger bonding force. In particular, the sealing member 700 may have a stronger adhesive strength at the boundary with the encapsulation substrate 500, and thus the durability of the display device 10 against external impact may be improved, which will be described in more detail later.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a display panel according to an embodiment.

[0061] For ease of explanation, FIG. 4 only illustrates the pixels PX, scan lines SL, data lines DL, first scan control lines SCL1, second scan control lines SCL2, first scan driver 110, second scan driver 120, display driver 200, display pads DP, and fan-out lines FL of the display panel 100.

[0062] 4, the display panel 100 may include a display area DPA in which pixels PX are formed to display an image, and a non-display area NDA which is a peripheral area of ​​the display area DPA. The non-display area NDA may be an area extending from the outside of the display area DPA to the edge of the display panel 100.

[0063] The scan lines SL, data lines DL, and pixels PX may be arranged in a display area DPA. The scan lines SL may be formed to be aligned in a first direction (X-axis direction), and the data lines DL may be formed to be aligned in a second direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the first direction (X-axis direction).

[0064] Each pixel PX may be connected to at least one of the scan lines SL and one of the data lines DL. Each pixel PX may include a thin film transistor including a driving transistor and at least one switching transistor, an organic light emitting diode, and a capacitor. When a scan signal is applied from the scan line SL, each pixel PX receives a data voltage from the data line DL and emits light by supplying a driving current to the organic light emitting diode in response to the data voltage applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor. A detailed description of the pixel PX will be given later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0065] The first scan driver 110, the second scan driver 120, the display driver 200, the first scan control line SCL1, the second scan control line SCL2, and the fan-out line FL may be arranged in the non-display area NDA.

[0066] The first scan driver 110 is connected to the display driver 200 via a first scan control line SCL1. Thus, the first scan driver 110 can receive a first scan control signal from the display driver 200. The first scan driver 110 generates a scan signal in response to the first scan control signal and supplies the scan signal to the scan line SL.

[0067] The second scan driver 120 is connected to the display driver 200 via a second scan control line SCL2. Thus, the second scan driver 120 can receive a second scan control signal from the display driver 200. The second scan driver 120 generates a scan signal in response to the second scan control signal and supplies the scan signal to the scan line SL.

[0068] The first scan driver 110 may be connected to the scan lines SL connected to the pixels PX in the display area DPA, and the second scan driver 120 may be connected to the scan lines SL connected to the pixels PX.

[0069] The fan-out wiring FL connects the display pad DP to the data wiring DL, the first scan driver 110, and the second scan driver 120. That is, the fan-out wiring FL may be disposed between the display pad DP and the data wiring DL, between the display pad DP and the first scan driver 110, and between the display pad DP and the second scan driver 120.

[0070] The pad area PDA may include a display pad DP. The display pad area PDA may be disposed on one side edge of the substrate SUB. For example, the pad area PDA may be disposed on a lower edge of the substrate SUB.

[0071] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing one pixel of FIG.

[0072] 5, the display panel 100 may include a base substrate 101, a thin film transistor T1 and a light emitting element EL disposed on the base substrate 101. Each pixel PX of the display panel 100 may include at least one thin film transistor T1 and a light emitting element EL, and may be connected to the above-mentioned scan line SL and data line DL. Although the drawing shows a case where one thin film transistor T1 is disposed in one pixel PX, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0073] The base substrate 101 may be a rigid substrate. The base substrate 101 may be made of an insulating material such as glass, quartz, or polymer resin. Examples of the polymer material may include polyethersulphone (PES), polyacrylate (PA), polyarylate (PAR), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), polyallylate, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), cellulose triacetate (CAT), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), or a combination thereof. The base substrate 101 may also include a metal material.

[0074] A buffer layer 102 may be disposed on the base substrate 101. The buffer layer 102 may be formed on the base substrate 101 to protect the thin film transistor T1 and the light emitting element from moisture that may penetrate through the base substrate 101, which is susceptible to moisture permeability. The buffer layer 102 is made of a plurality of inorganic films that are alternately stacked. For example, the buffer layer 102 may be formed of a multi-layer structure in which one or more inorganic films selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide film (SiOx), silicon nitride film (SiNx), and SiON are alternately stacked. The buffer layer 102 may be omitted.

[0075] A thin film transistor T1 is disposed on the buffer layer 102. Each thin film transistor T1 may include an active layer ACT1, a gate electrode G1, a source electrode S1, and a drain electrode D1. Although FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the thin film transistor T1 is formed in a top gate manner in which the gate electrode G1 is located above the active layer ACT1, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the thin film transistor T1 may be formed in a bottom gate manner in which the gate electrode G1 is located below the active layer ACT1, or in a double gate manner in which the gate electrode G1 is located both above and below the active layer ACT1.

[0076] The active layer ACT1 is disposed on the buffer layer 102. The active layer ACT1 may be formed of a silicon-based semiconductor material or an oxide-based semiconductor material. Although not shown in the drawing, a light-shielding layer for blocking external light incident on the active layer ACT1 may be formed between the buffer layer 102 and the active layer ACT1.

[0077] A gate insulating layer 103 may be disposed on the active layer ACT1. The gate insulating layer 103 may be formed of an inorganic film, such as a silicon oxide film (SiOx), a silicon nitride film (SiNx), or a multi-layer film thereof.

[0078] A gate electrode G1 and a gate line may be formed on the gate insulating layer 103. The gate electrode G1 and the gate line may be formed of a single layer or multiple layers made of any one of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu), or an alloy thereof.

[0079] An interlayer insulating layer 105 may be formed on the gate electrode G1 and the gate line. The interlayer insulating layer 105 may be formed of an inorganic film, for example, a silicon oxide film (SiOx), a silicon nitride film (SiNx), or a multi-layer film thereof.

[0080] A source electrode S1, a drain electrode D1, and a data line may be formed on the interlayer insulating layer 105. The source electrode S1 and the drain electrode D1 may be connected to the active layer ACT1 through a contact hole penetrating the gate insulating layer 103 and the interlayer insulating layer 105. The source electrode S1, the drain electrode D1, and the data line may be formed of a single layer or multiple layers made of any one of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu), or an alloy thereof.

[0081] A protective layer 107 for insulating the thin film transistor T1 may be formed on the source electrode S1, the drain electrode D1, and the data line. The protective layer 107 may be formed of an inorganic film, such as a silicon oxide film (SiOx), a silicon nitride film (SiNx), or a multi-layer film thereof.

[0082] A planarization layer 108 is disposed on the protective layer 107. The planarization layer 108 can smooth out steps caused by the thin film transistor T1. The planarization layer 108 can be formed of an organic film such as an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, a phenolic resin, a polyamide resin, or a polyimide resin.

[0083] A pixel defining film 109 and a light emitting element EL are disposed on the planarizing layer 108 .

[0084] The light-emitting element EL may be an organic light-emitting device, in which case the light-emitting element EL may include an anode electrode AND, an emitting layer OL, and a cathode electrode CTD.

[0085] The anode electrode AND may be formed on the planarization layer 108. The anode electrode AND may be connected to the source electrode S1 of the thin film transistor T1 through a contact hole passing through the protective layer 107 and the planarization layer 108.

[0086] The pixel definition film 109 may be formed on the planarization layer 108 to cover the edge of the anode electrode AND to define a pixel. That is, the pixel definition film 109 serves as a pixel definition film that defines a pixel. Each pixel is an area in which an anode electrode AND, an emitting layer OL, and a cathode electrode CTD are sequentially stacked, and holes from the anode electrode AND and electrons from the cathode electrode CTD are combined with each other in the emitting layer OL to emit light.

[0087] An emitting layer OL is formed on the anode electrode AND and the pixel defining film 109. The emitting layer OL may be an organic emitting layer. The emitting layer OL may emit one of red light, green light, and blue light. Alternatively, the emitting layer OL may be a white emitting layer that emits white light, in which case, the emitting layer OL may have a stacked form of a red emitting layer, a green emitting layer, and a blue emitting layer, and may be a common layer formed in common to the pixels. In this case, the display panel 100 may further include separate color filters for displaying red, green, and blue.

[0088] The light-emitting layer OL may include a hole transporting layer, a light-emitting layer, and an electron transporting layer. The light-emitting layer OL may be formed in a tandem structure of two or more stacks, in which case a charge generating layer may be formed between the stacks.

[0089] The cathode electrode CTD is formed on the light emitting layer OL. The cathode electrode CTD may be formed to cover the light emitting layer OL. The cathode electrode CTD may be a common layer formed in common to the pixels.

[0090] When the light emitting element EL of the display panel 100 is formed in a top emission mode in which the light is emitted upward, the anode electrode AND may be formed of a metal material having high reflectivity, such as a laminated structure of aluminum and titanium (Ti / Al / Ti), a laminated structure of aluminum and ITO (ITO / Al / ITO), an APC alloy, and a laminated structure of an APC alloy and ITO (ITO / APC / ITO). The APC alloy is an alloy of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and copper (Cu). The cathode electrode CTD may be formed of a transparent metal material (TCO, Transparent Conductive Material) such as ITO or IZO that transmits light, or a semi-transmissive metal material such as magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), or an alloy of magnesium (Mg) and silver (Ag). When the cathode electrode CTD is formed of a semi-transmissive metal material, the light output efficiency is increased due to microcavities.

[0091] When the light emitting element EL is formed in a bottom emission mode in which the light emitting element EL emits light downward, the anode electrode AND may be formed of a transparent metal material (TCO, Transparent Conductive Material) such as ITO or IZO, or a semi-transmissive metal material such as magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), or an alloy of magnesium (Mg) and silver (Ag). In this case, the cathode electrode CTD may be formed of a metal material with high reflectivity such as a laminated structure of aluminum and titanium (Ti / Al / Ti), a laminated structure of aluminum and ITO (ITO / Al / ITO), an APC alloy, and a laminated structure of APC alloy and ITO (ITO / APC / ITO). When the anode electrode AND is formed of a semi-transmissive metal material, the light output efficiency is increased due to the microcavity.

[0092] Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a case where a sealing member of a display device according to an embodiment is arranged. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in Fig. 6. Figs. 7 and 8 show cross-sections of the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100, respectively showing a cross-section of a portion adjacent to the display area DPA in the first direction DR1 and a cross-section of a portion including the pad area PDA adjacent to the display area DPA in the second direction DR2.

[0093] 6 to 8, the sealing member 700 of the display device 10 is disposed in the non-display area NDA to form a closed curve on a plane and may be disposed to surround the display area DPA of the display panel 100. That is, the sealing member 700 may surround the light-emitting element EL disposed in the display area DPA and may seal the space between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the display panel 100. The sealing member 700, together with the encapsulation substrate 500, may prevent damage to the light-emitting element EL due to air or moisture.

[0094] According to an embodiment, the sealing member 700 may be disposed on the metal wiring layer MTL disposed in the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100. The metal wiring layer MTL may be disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 105 of the display panel 100 in the non-display area NDA. As described above, the first scan driver 110, the second scan driver 120, the fan-out wiring FL, and the like may be disposed in the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100. The metal wiring layer MTL disposed in the non-display area NDA may be any one of the first scan driver 110, the second scan driver 120, and the fan-out wiring FL, and the sealing member 700 may be disposed to overlap these. For example, the metal wiring layer MTL shown in FIG. 7 may be any one of the circuit elements or wirings disposed in the first scan driver 110 or the second scan driver 120, and the metal wiring layer MTL shown in FIG. 8 may be any one of the fan-out wiring FL and the display pad DP connected thereto. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0095] 7 and 8, the metal wiring layer MTL is disposed along the non-display area NDA, the width of the sealing member 700 is the same as that of the metal wiring layer MTL, and the bottom surface of the sealing member 700 is in contact with the metal wiring layer MTL in its entirety, but is not limited thereto. The metal wiring layer MTL may have a narrower width than the sealing member 700, and the sealing member 700 may be in direct contact with the interlayer insulating layer 105 of the display panel 100. For a description of this, please refer to other embodiments.

[0096] The display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 of the display device 10 may be bonded to each other via a sealing member 700. The sealing member 700 includes a frit, and thus may bond the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 to each other by physical bonding therebetween, and may include a physical boundary between the sealing member 700 and the display panel 100 or the encapsulation substrate 500. However, the display device 10 according to an embodiment may include a fused region MA where the sealing member 700 is fused to the encapsulation substrate 500 or the display panel 100 and no physical boundary exists therebetween.

[0097] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG.

[0098] 9 in conjunction with FIGS. 7 and 8, the sealing member 700 may include a portion that physically bonds with the display panel 100 or with the boundary between the metal wiring layer MTL of the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500. That is, the sealing member 700 may be in direct contact with the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500, and a physical boundary may exist in the region where they are in contact with each other. For example, a physical boundary may exist between the lower surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 and the upper surface of the sealing member 700, and between the upper surface of the display panel 100 and the lower surface of the sealing member 700, and the sealing member 700 may be in direct contact with the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 and bonded to each other.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the sealing member 700 may include a fused region MA formed at least at the boundary with the encapsulation substrate 500. The fused region MA may be formed in at least a portion of the boundary formed between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500. The fused region MA may be a region where there is no physical boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, and may be a region formed by mixing the material of the sealing member 700 and the material of the encapsulation substrate 500. As described above, the encapsulation substrate 500 may include a material such as glass, and the sealing member 700 may include a material similar to that of the encapsulation substrate 500, including a frit. The fused region MA may be formed by a portion of the material of the sealing member 700 flowing into the interior of the encapsulation substrate 500 and a portion of the material of the encapsulation substrate 500 flowing into the sealing member 700 and mixing therewith. As a result, in the portion where the fusion region MA is formed, there is no physical boundary between the upper surface of the sealing member 700 and the lower surface of the sealing substrate 500, and the materials that make this up are mixed to form the fusion region MA, thereby improving the bonding strength between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500.

[0100] The sealing member 700 may include a first boundary surface CS1 that forms a physical boundary with the upper surface of the display panel 100 or the upper surface of the metal wiring layer MTL, and a second boundary surface CS2 that forms a physical boundary with the lower surface of the encapsulation substrate 500. A fusion region MA may be formed between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, a third boundary surface CS3 may be formed between the sealing member 700 and the fusion region MA, and a fourth boundary surface CS4 may be formed between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the fusion region MA. The first boundary surface CS1 and the second boundary surface CS2 are surfaces where the sealing member 700 contacts the display panel 100 or the encapsulation substrate 500, and may be physically separated boundaries. At the first boundary surface CS1 and the second boundary surface CS2, the material of the sealing member 700 does not move to the display panel 100 or the encapsulation substrate 500 or is not mixed with the material of the display panel 100 or the encapsulation substrate 500. The sealing member 700 can maintain a state in which it is bonded to the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 at a first boundary surface CS1 and a second boundary surface CS2, respectively.

[0101] The fused region MA is a region where the materials constituting the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 are mixed, and a portion where no physical boundary exists ("NPA" in FIG. 9) may be formed in the portion where the fused region MA is formed in the extended portion of the second interface CS2. That is, a fused region MA may be formed in at least a portion of the interface between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 without a physical boundary. The third interface CS3 and the fourth interface CS4 may be interfaces that form the fused region MA inside the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500, respectively.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the fused region MA may be formed by mixing the materials constituting the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500, and the third and fourth boundaries CS3 and CS4 may be boundaries where there is a difference in composition due to a position that is not a physical boundary, apart from the first and second boundaries CS1 and CS2. The fused region MA may be a region where the materials of the sealing substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 are mixed together, and may be a region formed by the material of the sealing member 700 moving toward the sealing substrate 500 and the material of the sealing substrate 500 moving toward the sealing member 700. The fused region MA includes and mixes all the materials of the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500, so that all of the materials can be detected in the fused region MA. For example, the frit component as the first component constituting the sealing member 700 and the glass component as the second component constituting the sealing substrate 500 can both be detected in a mixed state in the fused region MA. On the other hand, since only frit components are detected in the sealing member 700 and only glass components are detected in the sealing substrate 500, the third boundary surface CS3 and the fourth boundary surface CS4 of the fusion region MA are not physical boundaries, but boundaries due to differences in components may exist.

[0103] In one embodiment, the fused region MA may contain a greater amount of the second component of the encapsulation substrate 500 relative to the third interface CS3 than the sealing member 700, and the fused region MA may contain a greater amount of the first component of the sealing member 700 relative to the encapsulation substrate 500 relative to the fourth interface CS4. However, there is no physical boundary between the sealing member 700 and the fused region MA, and between the fused region MA and the encapsulation substrate 500, because they contain common components, relative to the third interface CS3 and the fourth interface CS4.

[0104] The fused region MA may be formed by partially fusing the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 by a laser irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 during the manufacturing process of the display device 10. The focal point of the laser may be set to be spaced apart from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500, and mixing of materials may occur at the boundary between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700. This will be described later.

[0105] The fusion region MA is formed by a laser irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500, so that the laser does not reach the metal wiring layer MTL disposed on the display panel 100. According to an embodiment, the fusion region MA may be formed to overlap the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction, but separated therefrom. At least a portion of the sealing member 700 is disposed on the metal wiring layer MTL, and the fusion region MA may be formed to overlap the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction. However, the fusion region MA may be formed to be separated from the metal wiring layer MTL so as not to be in direct contact with the metal wiring layer MTL. The display device 10 includes the fusion region MA where no physical boundary exists at the boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, but the bonding strength between the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 can be improved within a range where the metal wiring layer MTL disposed on the display panel 100 is not damaged.

[0106] Also, the width of the fused region MA varies from the encapsulation substrate 500 to the sealing member 700. According to an embodiment, the fused region MA may include a first portion overlapping the sealing member 700 and a second portion overlapping the encapsulation substrate 500, and the maximum width of the first portion may be greater than the maximum width of the second portion. As described above, the fused region MA is formed by a laser irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500, and the focus of the laser may be set apart from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500. The range irradiated with the laser becomes wider from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 toward the sealing member 700, and thus, the materials of the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 may be mixed in a wider area. The fused region MA may be disposed between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700, and the width may increase from the second portion overlapping the encapsulation substrate 500 to the first portion overlapping the sealing member 700. As shown in Fig. 9, the fused region MA may have a shape in which the width of the first portion is greater than the width of the second portion in cross section, but is not limited thereto.

[0107] The width WM and height HM of the fusion region MA may vary depending on the thickness HA of the sealing member 700. According to an embodiment, the height of the fusion region MA may be greater than the thickness of the sealing member 700. However, the fusion region MA may overlap with the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction but be spaced apart from it, and the height of the first portion overlapping with the sealing member 700 may be less than the thickness of the sealing member 700. As the height of the fusion region MA increases, the bonding strength between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 may be further improved.

[0108] In some embodiments, the thickness HA of the sealing member 700 may range from 4.5 μm to 6 μm, or from about 5 μm, and the width WM and height HM of the fused region MA may range from 8 μm to 12 μm, or from about 10 μm. In addition, the height of the first portion of the fused region MA may be smaller than the thickness of the sealing member 700 so that the fused region MA is spaced apart from the display panel 100 or the metal wiring layer MTL, and may range from 2 μm to 4 μm. However, without being limited thereto, the width WM and height HM of the fused region MA vary depending on the intensity of the laser irradiated during the manufacturing process of the display device 10.

[0109] Meanwhile, the sealing member 700 is arranged along the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100 and may form a closed curve surrounding the display area DPA, and the fusion areas MA are arranged along the sealing member 700 but are formed spaced apart from each other, thereby forming a pattern over the entire surface of the sealing member 700.

[0110] 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to an embodiment, and FIG 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III' of FIG 10. As shown in FIG.

[0111] 10 and 11, in the display device 10 according to an embodiment, the sealing member 700 may include a first extension portion extending in a first direction DR1 along the non-display area NDA, a second extension portion extending in a second direction DR2, and at least one corner portion curved by connecting the first extension portion and the second extension portion. The sealing member 700 may form a closed curve to surround the display area DPA, and may include the first extension portion and the second extension portion corresponding to the short side extending in the first direction DR1 and the long side extending in the second direction DR2 of the display panel 100. In addition, the sealing member 700 may include a first corner portion formed by being rounded (having a curvature) as a corner portion where the first extension portion and the second extension portion join together.

[0112] The fusion regions MA may be spaced apart from one another along the sealing member 700 when they are formed between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500. According to an embodiment, the fusion regions MA may be spaced apart from one another to form a pattern such as a dotted line or a dashed line, and the fusion regions MA may be formed at least along a first corner of the sealing member 700. The sealing member 700 for connecting the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 may have the fusion regions MA formed at the first corner where the first and second extensions are in contact, so that durability may be improved at the first corner where the bonding strength is relatively weak compared to the degree of stress concentration upon impact application. FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the fusion regions MA are spaced apart from one another to form a pattern having the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 9, but is not limited thereto. The fused regions MA may have other shapes and patterns in plan view, and may be connected to each other to have a predetermined length, or may form a closed curve extending continuously along the sealing member 700, instead of being spaced apart. Also, the drawings show a case where only one fused region MA is formed in the width direction (first direction DR1 at the location along the long side, and second direction DR2 at the location along the short side) at each location across the sealing member 700, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A plurality of fused regions MA may be formed along the width direction of the sealing member 700, and these may be formed to be spaced apart from each other.

[0113] On the other hand, when multiple fused regions MA are formed spaced apart from one another, the distance ("DM" in FIG. 11) at which they are spaced apart from one another may be greater than the maximum width WM of each fused region MA. According to one embodiment, the distance (DM) at which multiple fused regions MA are spaced apart may be 1.5 to 3 times, for example 2 times, the maximum width WM of each fused region MA, and in some embodiments, the distance (DM) at which multiple fused regions MA are spaced apart may be in the range of 50 μm to 100 μm, but is not limited thereto.

[0114] A method for manufacturing the display device 10 according to an embodiment will be described below.

[0115] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a display device according to an embodiment.

[0116] 12, a method for manufacturing a display device 10 according to an embodiment may include the steps of preparing a display panel 100 and an encapsulation substrate 500 (S100), bonding them with a sealing member 700, and irradiating a laser onto the sealing member 700 to form a fusion region MA between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700, where there is no physical boundary between the two as an interface where the two are in direct contact with each other. The step of bonding the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 to each other may include the steps of preparing frit crystals therebetween (S200), firing the frit crystals, and then irradiating a laser to melt the frit crystals. Here, the laser irradiated to melt the frit crystals may have a different intensity from the laser irradiated to form the fusion region MA. For more detailed explanation, please refer to other drawings.

[0117] 13 to 16 are cross-sectional views showing a manufacturing process of the display device according to an embodiment.

[0118] First, referring to FIG. 13 in conjunction with FIG. 12, a display panel 100 and an encapsulation substrate 500 are prepared (S100), and a frit crystal 710 is prepared between the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 (S200). The frit crystal 710 can be prepared by performing processes of printing, drying, and firing on the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100, i.e., on the outer portion surrounding the display area DPA. In some embodiments, the frit crystal 710 can be glass in the form of a powder, optionally containing additives (if necessary). As described above, the sealing member 700 can include frit, and the frit crystal 710 can be melted and hardened to form a structure having glass properties to form the sealing member 700.

[0119] 14, a first laser is irradiated onto the frit crystal 710 to form a sealing member 700, and the encapsulation substrate 500 and the display panel 100 are bonded together (S300). The first laser may be irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 or the lower surface of the display panel 100. The encapsulation substrate 500 includes a transparent material, and the first laser may be irradiated onto the frit crystal 710 through the encapsulation substrate 500. In the case of the display panel 100, the base substrate 101 may also include a transparent material, and the first laser may be irradiated onto at least the metal wiring layer MTL. The metal wiring layer MTL includes a metal material, and when the first laser is irradiated, heat is generated and can be transferred to the frit crystal 710. That is, a first laser (1st Laser) irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 or the lower surface of the display panel 100 can directly or indirectly transfer energy to the frit crystal 710, and the frit crystal 710 can form the sealing member 700 through a melting and hardening process. Although the drawings show a case in which the first laser (1st Laser) is irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 and the lower surface of the display panel 100, the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first laser (1st Laser) can be irradiated from only one of the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 and the lower surface of the display panel 100, or can be irradiated from another direction, for example, from the side of the frit crystal 710.

[0120] Meanwhile, when a first laser (1st Laser) is irradiated, only the frit crystal 710 melts, and the display panel 100 or the metal wiring layer MTL does not melt, and the encapsulation substrate 500 does not melt. The sealing member 700 formed by the process of melting and hardening the frit crystal 710 may be physically bonded to the display panel 100 or the metal wiring layer MTL, and the encapsulation substrate 500. When the frit crystal 710 melts, it becomes viscous, and in the process of hardening again to form the sealing member 700, it loses its viscosity, and the sealing member 700 may be bonded to the metal wiring layer MTL and the encapsulation substrate 500. The sealing member 700 may directly contact the metal wiring layer MTL and the encapsulation substrate 500 and bond them to each other, and at the boundary where they contact each other, a physical boundary may exist as an interface where they directly contact each other.

[0121] 14 and 15, the sealing member 700 is irradiated with a second laser (2nd Laser) to form a fusion region MA, and the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 are partially fused (S400). The second laser (2nd Laser) is irradiated to the entire surface or a specific selected portion near the boundary between the sealing substrate 500 and the sealing member 700, thereby forming a fusion region MA, which is a region where there is no physical boundary as an interface where the sealing substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 are in direct contact with each other. According to one embodiment, the second laser (2nd Laser) may be a pulsed laser having a stronger intensity than the first laser (1st Laser). In some embodiments, the second laser (2nd Laser) may be irradiated at a frequency of 1 kHz to 10 MHz for a period of 10 fs (femto-sec.) to 50 ps (pico-sec), and may have an energy of 0.1 μJ or more. The second laser may partially fuse the materials forming the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 at the boundary between them. The fused region MA is a region where the material forming the sealing member 700 and the material forming the encapsulation substrate 500 are mixed together, and a region where there is no physical boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 where they are in direct contact with each other may be formed.

[0122] Meanwhile, the second laser (2nd Laser) may be irradiated from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 so as not to damage the metal wiring layer MTL of the display panel 100. According to an embodiment, the focus AFP of the second laser (2nd Laser) is set at a distance above the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500, and the distance FLD between the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500 and the focus AFP of the second laser (2nd Laser) may range from 0.1 μm to 200 μm. Since the second laser (2nd Laser) has a stronger intensity than the first laser (1st Laser), if the focus AFP of the second laser (2nd Laser) is set inside the encapsulation substrate 500 or near the interface between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, the metal wiring layer MTL of the display panel 100 may be damaged. According to one embodiment, the second laser (2nd Laser) is set so that the focus AFP is spaced upward from the upper surface of the encapsulation substrate 500, i.e., outside the display device 10. Therefore, even if the second laser (2nd Laser) is irradiated to the interface between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, the fusion area MA can be formed away from the metal wiring layer MTL, thereby preventing damage to the metal wiring layer MTL.

[0123] In addition, when the second laser (2nd Laser) reaches the interface between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 via the focal point AFP, the energy may be transmitted to spread over an area wider than the focal point AFP. The fused area MA formed at the interface between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 may have a shape in which the diameter or width increases as it moves away from the focal point AFP of the second laser (2nd Laser) or from the sealing substrate 500 toward the sealing member 700.

[0124] A method for manufacturing a display device 10 according to an embodiment may include a step of forming a fusion region MA by irradiating a second laser after bonding the display panel 100 and the encapsulation substrate 500 to each other with a sealing member 700. The display device 10 includes a fusion region MA at least between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700, which is a region where no physically clear boundary surface exists, thereby improving the bonding strength between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 and improving the durability of the display device 10 against external impacts.

[0125] Various embodiments of the display device 10 will now be described with reference to other drawings.

[0126] Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a display device according to another embodiment, and Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a manufacturing process of the display device of Fig. 17.

[0127] 17 and 18, a display device 10_1 according to an embodiment may include a greater number of fused regions MA_1 formed in a line in the width direction of a sealing member 700_1. The embodiment of Figs. 17 and 18 differs from the embodiment of Fig. 7 in that a greater number of fused regions MA_1 are formed in the width direction of the sealing member 700_1. Hereinafter, overlapping descriptions will be omitted and differences will be mainly described.

[0128] The sealing member 700_1 of the display device 10_1 may have a width measured in a first direction DR1. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, only one fused region MA appears in a cross section in the width direction across the sealing member 700_1. However, without being limited thereto, a second laser ("2nd Laser" in FIG. 18) may be irradiated at a plurality of locations so as to be aligned in the width direction across the sealing member 700_1, and thus the display device 10_1 may include a plurality of fused regions MA_1 formed at a distance so as to be aligned in the width direction across the sealing member 700_1. The fused regions MA_1 may include a first fused region MA1_1 adjacent to the display region DPA, a third fused region MA3_1 formed at the outermost position in the non-display region NDA, and a second fused region MA2_1 formed between these two fused regions. The first to third fused regions (MA1_1, MA2_1, MA3_1) may be spaced apart in the first direction DR1. Although not shown in the drawings, the first to third fusion regions MA1_1, MA2_1, MA3_1 may each be arranged along the second extension portion of the sealing member 700_1, and each may form a pattern spaced apart in the second direction DR2. According to an embodiment, the display device 10_1 may further improve the adhesive strength between the sealing member 700_1 and the encapsulation substrate 500 by including a greater number of fusion regions MA_1 arranged along the width direction of the sealing member 700_1.

[0129] 19 to 21 are schematic plan views illustrating the arrangement of fusion regions formed on a sealing member of a display device according to another embodiment.

[0130] 19 to 21, the planar shape of the fused region MA can be variously modified. First, referring to FIG. 19, in the display device 10_2 according to an embodiment, the fused region MA_2 may have a shape in which the portions extending in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2 cross each other. The shape of the fused region MA_2 can be formed by controlling the focus AFP and the laser width of the second laser (2nd Laser) in the process of irradiating the second laser (2nd Laser). For example, when irradiating the second laser (2nd Laser), if a laser having a width in the first direction DR1 is irradiated and then a laser having a width in the second direction DR2 intersecting the first laser is irradiated, the fused region MA_2 having the shape shown in FIG. 19 can be formed. However, the shape of the fused region MA_2 is not limited thereto and can be variously modified.

[0131] 20, the display device 10_3 may have a fused region MA_3 extending along the sealing member 700 to form a closed curve surrounding the display area DPA. The fused region MA_3 may be formed over the entire boundary between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500, and may be formed to have substantially the same shape as the sealing member 700. The fused region MA_3 may include extensions extending in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2 and a bent corner at the contact portion between the extensions. However, the width WM of the fused region MA_3 may be smaller than the width of the sealing member 700, and at least a portion of the sealing member 700 may be in direct contact with the sealing substrate 500. In the embodiment of FIG. 20, the fused region MA_3 is formed over the entire region of the sealing member 700, and thus the bonding strength between the sealing substrate 500 and the sealing member 700 may be further improved.

[0132] However, without being limited thereto, the fusion region MA may be selectively formed only in a portion where the bonding strength between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500 is weak.

[0133] In the display device 10_4 of FIG. 21, fusion regions MA_4 may be formed corresponding to each corner where the first extension and the second extension of the sealing member 700 are in contact. The fusion regions MA_4 may have a curved shape along the shape of the corner of the sealing member 700. The corner of the sealing member 700 may be a portion where the bonding strength with the encapsulation substrate 500 is somewhat weak, and may be a portion where the frequency of damage due to external impact is high. In the manufacturing process of the display device 10_4, a second laser may be selectively irradiated only to an area in the boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 that is vulnerable to external impact, so that the fusion regions MA_4 may be formed only in the corresponding area.

[0134] FIG. 22 is a schematic plan view showing a fused region formed on a sealing member of a display device according to still another embodiment.

[0135] 22, the display device 10_5 may include a trench portion TP in the display panel 100_5 and the encapsulation substrate 500_5. The display panel 100_5 and the encapsulation substrate 500_5 may include a trench portion TP having a shape in which one short side located upward from the center among the short sides extending in the first direction DR1 is recessed inward. As a result, the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100_5 may have more corner portions, and the encapsulation substrate 500_5 may have more portions vulnerable to external impact. In the display device 10_5 according to an embodiment, the display panel 100_5 and the encapsulation substrate 500_5 may include the trench portion TP, and the fusion area MA_5 may be formed in a corner portion of the sealing member 700 corresponding to the trench portion TP. The fusion regions MA_5 are formed corresponding to the curved corners of the trench portion TP, and can improve the bonding strength between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500_5 even if the shapes of the display panel 100_5 and the encapsulation substrate 500_5 are deformed.

[0136] Meanwhile, as described above, the metal wiring layer MTL disposed in the non-display area NDA may be the first scan driver 110, the second scan driver 120, and the fan-out wiring FL. In the above drawings, only an embodiment in which the metal wiring layer MTL is disposed over the entire surface of the non-display area NDA, so that the lower surface of the sealing member 700 is in contact with the metal wiring layer MTL over the entire surface, is shown. However, without being limited thereto, the metal wiring layer MTL may have a pattern shape spaced apart at a certain interval, and a portion of the insulating layer, for example, the interlayer insulating layer 105, on which the metal wiring layer MTL is disposed in the non-display area NDA, may be exposed. The exposed interlayer insulating layer 105 may be in direct contact with the sealing member 700.

[0137] Figure 23 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the SDA1 portion of Figure 10. Figure 24 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the SDA2 portion of Figure 10. Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV' of Figure 23. The SDA1 portion of Figure 10 may be a portion where the first scan driver 110 or the second scan driver 120 is arranged in the non-display area NDA, and the SDA2 portion of Figure 10 may be a portion where the fan-out wiring FL is arranged in the non-display area NDA.

[0138] 23 to 25, the metal wiring layer MTL disposed in the non-display area NDA may form a partially spaced pattern, and the sealing member 700 may directly contact a portion of the display panel 100 where the metal wiring layer MTL is not disposed. According to an embodiment, the display panel 100 may include at least one insulating layer (102, 103, 105) disposed under the metal wiring layer MTL or between the metal wiring layer MTL and the base substrate 101, and a portion of an upper surface of the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) disposed in the non-display area NDA may be exposed. The metal wiring layer MTL is not necessarily disposed over the entire surface of the non-display area NDA, and may include a partially spaced pattern. In the spaced area of ​​the metal wiring layer MTL, a portion of an upper surface of the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) disposed in the non-display area NDA may be exposed. In the drawings, for convenience of explanation, the metal wiring layer MTL is illustrated as having a pattern extending in one direction and spaced in another direction, or a pattern with an inclined side, but is not limited thereto. When the metal wiring layer MTL arranged on the display panel 100 of the display device 10 has a pattern that is partially separated, the shape thereof is not particularly limited.

[0139] According to an embodiment, the sealing member 700 disposed in the non-display area NDA may be disposed on the metal wiring layer MTL and the exposed insulating layer (102, 103, 105), and at least a portion of the lower surface of the sealing member 700 may directly contact the metal wiring layer MTL and the exposed insulating layer (102, 103, 105). The sealing member 700 may further include a fifth interface CS5 with the exposed insulating layer (102, 103, 105) of the display panel 100 in addition to the first interface ("CS1" in FIG. 9) with the metal wiring layer MTL. The fifth interface CS5 may be a portion where a physical boundary exists similarly to the first interface CS1, and the lower surface of the sealing member 700 may directly contact a portion of the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) disposed in the display panel 100 in addition to the metal wiring layer MTL.

[0140] As described above, the fusion area MA formed at the boundary between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500 may overlap the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction, but may be formed to be spaced apart from it. Although not shown in the drawings, the non-display area NDA may include a portion where the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) is exposed without the metal wiring layer MTL, and the fusion area MA may be formed to overlap the exposed insulating layer (102, 103, 105). That is, in some embodiments, the fusion area MA may be formed between the sealing member 700 and the encapsulation substrate 500, but may be formed not to overlap the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction. Damage to the metal wiring layer MTL can be prevented even when irradiated with a second laser (2nd Laser).

[0141] In addition, since the display panel 100 includes an area in which the metal wiring layer MTL is not disposed in the non-display area NDA, the fusion area MA may be further disposed in the boundary between the sealing member 700 and the display panel 100 .

[0142] Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a display device according to still another embodiment. Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a manufacturing process of the display device of Fig. 26.

[0143] 26 and 27, the display device 10_6 may further include a second fusion region MA2_6 formed between the sealing member 700 and the display panel 100, in addition to the first fusion region MA1_6 formed between the sealing member 700 and the sealing substrate 500. In the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100, a portion where the metal wiring layer MTL is not arranged and the insulating layers (102, 103, 105) are exposed may exist, and the second fusion region MA2_6 may be formed in the portion where the insulating layers (102, 103, 105) are exposed. The first fusion region MA1_6 has been described above, so the second fusion region MA2_6 will be described in detail below.

[0144] The second fusion area MA2_6 may be formed in a portion in the non-display area NDA of the display panel 100 where the metal wiring layer MTL is not arranged and the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) is exposed. The second fusion area MA2_6 may be formed over the sealing member 700, the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) of the display panel 100, and the base substrate 101. The sealing member 700 may form a fifth boundary surface CS5 where a physical boundary exists with the portion where the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) is exposed. The second fusion area MA2_6 may be an area where no physical boundary exists between the sealing member 700 and the display panel 100, and no physical boundary exists in the portion where the second fusion area MA2_6 is located in the extension line of the fifth boundary surface CS5 ("NPA2" in FIG. 26).

[0145] A fifth boundary surface CS5 may be formed between the sealing member 700 and the exposed insulating layer (102, 103, 105) of the display panel 100, a sixth boundary surface CS6 may be formed between the sealing member 700 and the second fusion region MA2_6, and a seventh boundary surface CS7 may be formed between the second fusion region MA2_6 and the base substrate 101 of the display panel 100. The fifth boundary surface CS5 may be a physical boundary, but like the third boundary surface CS3 and the fourth boundary surface CS4, the sixth boundary surface CS6 and the seventh boundary surface CS7 may be boundaries where there is a component difference due to a position that is not a physical boundary. The second fusion region MA2_6 may be a region where the component constituting the sealing member 700 and the component constituting the insulating layer (102, 103, 105) or the base substrate 101 of the display panel 100 are mixed. A detailed description of this is substantially the same as that described above for the first fusion region MA1_6.

[0146] In some embodiments, the second fused region MA2_6 may include a third portion overlapping the sealing member 700 and a fourth portion overlapping the display panel 100, and the maximum width of the third portion may be greater than the maximum width of the fourth portion. As shown in FIG. 27, the second fused region MA2_6 may be formed by a second laser (2nd Laser) irradiated from the lower surface of the base substrate 101 of the display panel 100. As described above, the focus of the second laser (2nd Laser) may be set to be farther away from the lower surface of the base substrate 101, and the range of the region irradiated with the second laser (2nd Laser) becomes wider from the upper surface of the base substrate 101 to the sealing member 700. According to an embodiment, the second fused region MA2_6 may have a third portion having a maximum width greater than the maximum width of the fourth portion.

[0147] The display device 10_6 may further include a second fusion region MA2_6 formed between the display panel 100 and the sealing member 700, in addition to the first fusion region MA1_6 formed between the encapsulation substrate 500 and the sealing member 700. The sealing member 700 includes the first fusion region MA1_6 that overlaps with the metal wiring layer MTL in the thickness direction but is spaced apart from it, and the second fusion region MA2_6 formed in an area where the metal wiring layer MTL is not disposed, thereby further improving the adhesive strength between the sealing member 700 and the display panel 100 and between the sealing substrate 500 and the sealing member 500.

[0148] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiment is illustrative in all respects and is not limiting.

[0149] According to a preferred embodiment, the following is provided.

[0150] The background and objectives of this case are as follows (i) to (vii).

[0151] (i) An OLED display requires encapsulation to protect an OLED from the outside air since the OLED element is easily deteriorated by moisture and oxygen.

[0152] Typically, an organic light-emitting display panel is formed by forming circuits and wiring including a plurality of TFTs for each pixel on a base substrate, and then forming an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) for each pixel on top of the circuits and wiring.

[0153] (ii) As one method for this encapsulation, another substrate (encapsulation substrate) similar to the base substrate is used. That is, the encapsulation substrate is superimposed on the base substrate to cover the pixel array region (display region), and the base substrate and the encapsulation substrate are joined together at the periphery surrounding the display region by a peripheral sealant (sealing member).

[0154] (iii) In particular, as a sealing member for the peripheral portion, glass frit (laser glass frit) is being used in place of or in combination with a sealant made of a resin material. That is, at least the surfaces of the base substrate and the sealing substrate that face each other are formed from a transparent inorganic material such as glass, and the base substrate and the sealing substrate are joined to each other at their peripheral portions with a peripheral sealing material made of a glass material that softens at a lower temperature.

[0155] More specifically, a layer of glass material in a powder or other form is placed between the base substrate and the sealing substrate, heated and melted by laser irradiation, and then cooled and solidified to bond and seal (seal) the peripheral portions.

[0156] (iv) For example, International Publication WO2011 / 108115A includes the following description: As will be understood from the following description, glass frit usually employs a composition for lowering the softening point and the like, and also contains an absorbent component (such as vanadium oxide) for laser light such as near-infrared (wavelength 0.75 to 1.4 μm).

[0157]

[0004] ...Glass frit is made by heating and melting a powder mixture of components mainly made of metal oxides to vitrify it, then pulverizing it into powder, which is then coated on the sealing area, and remelted by heating to form a sealing glass layer. In recent years, glass frits of various glass compositions that do not contain toxic lead have been put to practical use, and are considered to be suitable for insulating organic EL elements, which are sensitive to moisture, from the outside air. ...In sealing organic EL displays, "a laser beam is irradiated to the periphery of the panel through which the glass frit is inserted, thereby locally heating and melting only the glass frit," thereby suppressing the adverse thermal effects on the organic EL elements...

[0158]

[0028] The ratio of each component of such a lead-free glass material for sealing an organic electroluminescence element is expressed in mole percent as follows: 2 0 5 30-60%, ZnO 5-20%, BaO 5-20%, Te0 2 With such a glass composition, as shown in the thermal properties of the examples described later, the softening point [Tf] is less than 320°C, the glass transition point [Tg] is less than 300°C, and sealing processing is possible at low temperatures. -7 / ℃~130×10 -7 / ℃, and generally exhibits a dark brown color that has good absorption of laser light.

[0159]

[0043] Although the heat treatment for this sealing process can be carried out in one go, it is better to carry it out in two stages to improve the sealing quality. That is, first, the glass material is heated to the softening point [Tf] as a pre-baking step, which causes the vehicle components of the paste (binder and solvent) to volatilize and pyrolyze, leaving only the frit components, and then, as a main baking step, the glass components are locally heated by irradiation with a laser beam to form a sealing glass layer in which the glass components are completely melted and integrated.

[0160] (v) On the other hand, the base substrate and sealing substrate are made of non-alkali glass, similar to that used in liquid crystal displays. Non-alkali glass is "glass that does not contain alkaline components such as sodium or potassium" and "generally has silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, boron oxide, and alkaline earth metal oxides such as calcium oxide and barium oxide as its main components." (Encyclopedia Nipponica)

[0161] Glass used in display panels such as liquid crystal displays has a strain point (T1014.5; JIS R3103-02:2001) of 600°C or higher for the purpose of reducing thermal shrinkage. For example, AN100 and AN935 from AGC (Asahi Glass) have strain points of 670°C and 635°C, respectively. In addition, Nippon Electric Glass's glass substrate for flexible displays, "G-Leaf," has a strain point of 650°C and a thickness of 0.2mm to 0.05mm.

[0162] (vi) The glass frit (laser glass frit) may have a softening point (T107.6; JIS R3103-1:2001) sufficiently lower than the strain point of the glass of the base substrate and the sealing substrate. For example, a glass frit having a softening point of 600° C. or lower, 550° C. or lower, 500° C. or lower, or 450° C. or lower can be used.

[0163] (vii) On the other hand, Korean Patent Publication KR10-2019-0055860A proposes using glass filaments made of the same material as the base substrate and the sealing substrate instead of glass frit. This method can eliminate the need for firing processes, but the process temperature for melting is high. Therefore, it cannot be used in places where it overlaps with a wiring pattern (Korean Patent Publication KR10-2019-0055860A

[0160] ).

[0164] However, in recent years, there has been a demand for minimizing the width of the non-display area ("bezel") around the edges of displays for mobile devices and the like. To achieve this, it is necessary to form the drive circuits and fan-out wiring (extraction wiring) built into the display panel in an area that overlaps with the sealing material.

[0165] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a sealing member that can improve the impact resistance of an OLED display, which has a shape that is particularly prone to stress concentration, and can also accommodate narrower bezels by improving the bonding strength of the sealing member.

[0166] According to a preferred embodiment, the following A1 to A3 are adopted. Also, preferably, at least one of A4 to A7 can be adopted. The combinations A1 to A3 below have been realized in opposition to the conventional idea that it is undesirable to cause softening or the like in glass materials such as sealing substrates.

[0167] A1 First, a sealed organic light-emitting display panel is prepared by sealing with a sealing substrate and glass frit (sealing material) in the same manner as in the conventional method.

[0168] That is, it can be carried out as described below in A1-1 to A1-6.

[0169] A1-1 An organic light-emitting display panel (100) is obtained by forming a laminated pattern of circuits and wiring, and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) for each pixel on a base substrate made of glass.

[0170] A1-2 In this case, the peripheral area where the glass frit (sealing material) is placed is provided with a drive circuit for sending drive pulses, data pulses, etc. into the display area, and fan-out wiring for sending signal pulses and drive / control voltages from this drive circuit. At least a part of the wiring pattern of the drive circuit and the fan-out wiring may be exposed upward on the interlayer insulating film.

[0171] A1-3 Glass frit paste or powder is applied to a predetermined location in one stroke, for example, using a dispenser and a robot arm.

[0172] A1-4 If necessary, the coating layer of the glass frit is heated and fired by laser irradiation. This can remove binders and solvents contained in the coating layer of the glass frit, or can achieve at least partial bonding of the glass powders to each other and adhesion to both substrates. This firing can be performed by focusing near-infrared laser irradiation on the vicinity of the coating layer of the glass frit to heat it to near the softening point of the glass frit (T107.6; JIS R3103-1:2001).

[0173] A1-5 Near-infrared laser irradiation is focused on the vicinity of the glass frit coating layer, and the glass frit powder is melted and fused together by heating to a temperature well above the softening point (T107.6; JIS R3103-1:2001) of the glass frit. After melting, the glass frit powder is cooled and solidified, and is bonded to the surfaces of the organic light-emitting display panel (100) and the sealing substrate (500). In this way, a sealing member (700) is formed as a sealant for the peripheral portion.

[0174] A1-6 The strain point of the glass material of the base substrate (101) and the sealing substrate (500) is sufficiently higher than the softening point of the glass frit (for example, 20°C or higher, 30°C or higher, or 50°C or higher), so there is almost no melting even on the surface of the glass material of the base substrate (101) and the sealing substrate (500). Even if melting and mixing occurs at the boundary surface, the thickness of the melting and mixing layer is, for example, 100 nm or less or 50 nm or less.

[0175] A2 A laser beam, for example near-infrared laser beam, is focused on a point spaced from the outer surface (top surface in the drawing of the present application) of the sealing substrate (500) toward the outside (upward in the drawing of the present application) and the vicinity of the boundary surface (NPA in FIG. 9) between the sealing substrate (500) and the sealing member (700) is heated until melting and mixing occurs. At this time, by adjusting the focus as described above, the energy density becomes high on the sealing substrate (500) side, which has a high softening point, and the energy density becomes low on the sealing member (700) side.

[0176] A3 As a result, an anchoring portion (fused region MA) is formed in the vicinity of the original boundary surface between the sealing substrate (500) and the sealing member (700) as a portion where melting and mixing has occurred.

[0177] A4 As described above, the three-dimensional heated region caused by irradiation expands in a tapered shape from the inside of the sealing substrate (500) toward the inside of the sealing member (700). Therefore, the formed anchoring portion (fused region MA) has a cross-sectional shape in which the left and right side surfaces taper toward the inside of the sealing member (700). Therefore, when the anchoring portion (fused region MA) is formed in a dot shape, the peripheral surface is tapered, and the anchoring portion (fused region MA) may have a teardrop shape, etc. When the anchoring portion (fused region MA) is formed to extend linearly, flat inclined surfaces may be formed on both sides. As a result, the diameter or width of the anchoring portion (fused region MA) becomes largest at the point where it bites into the inside of the sealing member (700).

[0178] A5 The anchoring portion (fusion region MA) is formed away from the boundary surface between the organic light-emitting display panel (100) and the sealing member (700). In this way, it is possible to prevent the wiring patterns such as the driving circuits and fan-out wiring on the organic light-emitting display panel (100) and the TFTs from being damaged.

[0179] A6 The height HM (dimension in the thickness direction of the panel) of the anchoring portion (fused region MA) can be 2 μm or more, 3 μm or more, 5 μm or more, or 8 μm or more, and can be 20 μm or less, 15 μm or less, or 12 μm or less. Furthermore, the anchoring portion (fusion region MA) can be formed so that the height dimension thereof biting into the sealing substrate (500) is 1.3 to 3 times or 1.5 to 2.5 times, for example, approximately twice, the height dimension thereof biting into the sealing member (700).

[0180] A7 Anchoring portions (fusion regions MA) may also be formed between the organic light-emitting display panel (100) and the sealing member (700). That is, in a location where no circuit or wiring pattern exists, the anchoring portion (fusion region MA) can be formed in exactly the same manner as described above for forming it between the sealing substrate (500). Depending on the needs of a particular portion of the organic light-emitting display device, an anchoring portion (fusion region MA) may be formed between the sealing member (700) and at least one of the organic light-emitting display panel (100) and the sealing substrate (500). [Explanation of symbols]

[0181] 10:Display device 100: Display panel 200: Display driver 300: Display circuit board 500: Sealing substrate 700: Sealing materials MA: Fusion area

Claims

1. a display panel including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; a sealing substrate disposed on the display panel; a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the encapsulation substrate to bond the display panel and the encapsulation substrate; a first fusion region formed in at least a portion of an area between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, the display panel further includes a metal wiring layer disposed so as to cover at least a portion of the non-display area; the sealing member is disposed at least partially on the metal wiring layer in the non-display region, the first fusion region overlaps the metal wiring layer in a thickness direction and is spaced apart from the metal wiring layer; the first fusion region includes a first portion arranged to extend in parallel along the sealing member and a second portion arranged to extend in parallel along the sealing substrate; A display device, wherein a maximum width of the first portion is greater than a maximum width of the second portion.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first fusion region is formed by fusing a material constituting the sealing member and a material constituting the sealing substrate.

3. A display panel including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; a sealing substrate disposed on the display panel; a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the encapsulation substrate to bond the display panel and the encapsulation substrate; a first fusion region formed in at least a portion of an area between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, the display panel further includes a metal wiring layer disposed so as to cover at least a portion of the non-display area; the sealing member is disposed at least partially on the metal wiring layer in the non-display region, the first fusion region overlaps the metal wiring layer in a thickness direction and is spaced apart from the metal wiring layer; the first fusion region is formed by fusing a material constituting the sealing member and a material constituting the sealing substrate, A display device, wherein the height of the first fused region is greater than the thickness of the sealing member.

4. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a lower surface of the sealing member is in direct contact with the metal wiring layer to form a first boundary surface at which a physical boundary exists between the sealing member and the metal wiring layer.

5. At least a portion of an upper surface of the sealing member is in direct contact with the encapsulation substrate to form a second interface having a physical boundary with the encapsulation substrate; The display device according to claim 4 , wherein the physical boundary does not exist in a portion of the extension line of the second boundary surface where the first fused region is formed.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first fused region includes a third interface between the first portion and the sealing member and a fourth interface between the second portion and the encapsulation substrate.

7. 2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the sealing member has a thickness in the range of 4.5 μm to 6 μm, and the first portion has a height in the range of 2 μm to 4 μm.

8. The display device of claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the first fusion regions are formed between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, and a width of the first fusion regions is smaller than a distance between the first fusion regions.

9. 9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the first fused region has a maximum width in the range of 8 μm to 12 μm, and a maximum height in the range of 8 μm to 12 μm.

10. The display device according to claim 9 , wherein the distance between the first fused regions is in the range of 50 μm to 100 μm.

11. A display panel including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; a sealing substrate disposed on the display panel; a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the encapsulation substrate to bond the display panel and the encapsulation substrate; a first fusion region formed in at least a portion of an area between the sealing member and the sealing substrate, the display panel further includes a metal wiring layer disposed so as to cover at least a portion of the non-display area; the sealing member is disposed at least partially on the metal wiring layer in the non-display region, the first fusion region overlaps the metal wiring layer in a thickness direction and is spaced apart from the metal wiring layer; the display panel further includes at least one insulating layer disposed below the metal wiring layer; A display device, wherein at least a portion of a lower surface of the sealing member is in direct contact with the insulating layer.

12. The display device of claim 11 , further comprising a second fusion region formed between the insulating layer of the display panel and the sealing member, the second fusion region being spaced apart from the sealing substrate.

13. the second fused region includes a third portion disposed to extend in parallel along the sealing member and a fourth portion disposed to extend in parallel along the display panel; The display device of claim 12 , wherein a maximum width of the third portion is greater than a maximum width of the fourth portion.

14. the sealing member includes a fifth boundary surface that is in direct contact with the insulating layer of the display panel and has a physical boundary between the sealing member and the insulating layer; The display device according to claim 13 , wherein a physical boundary as an interface between the sealing member and the insulating layer does not exist in a portion where the second fused region is formed in an extension line of the fifth boundary surface.

15. A first substrate including a display area in which a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged and a non-display area surrounding the display area; A second substrate disposed on the first substrate; a metal wiring layer disposed in the non-display region of the first substrate; a sealing member disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, surrounding the display region and overlapping the metal wiring layer in the non-display region; a fused region formed between the second substrate and the sealing member, the sealing member includes a first extension portion extending in a first direction along the non-display area, a second extension portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a first corner portion bent and connected to the first extension portion and the second extension portion, The fused region is formed at least at the first corner portion of the sealing member, In the fused region, there is no physical boundary at the interface between the second substrate and the sealing member; The fusion region is a three-dimensional region located across the sealing member and the second substrate, and is formed spaced apart from the first substrate.

16. the fused region is also disposed on the first extension and the second extension of the sealing member; The display device of claim 15 , wherein the fused regions are spaced apart from one another in the first direction and the second direction.

17. The display device according to claim 16 , wherein the fused region forms a closed curve so as to surround the display region along the sealing member.

18. The first substrate and the second substrate each include a trench portion having at least one side recessed inward, The display device of claim 16 , wherein the sealing member is disposed along an outer surface of the trench portion, and the fusion region is formed on the sealing member at a location disposed corresponding to the outer surface of the trench portion.

19. preparing a first substrate including a display region and a non-display region and a second substrate facing the first substrate, and bonding the first substrate and the second substrate together using a sealing member; A method for manufacturing a display device, comprising: irradiating the sealing member with a laser to form a fused region at an interface between the second substrate and the sealing member, the fused region having no physical boundary.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the focus of the laser is set to be spaced apart from the upper surface of the second substrate, and the distance between the focus of the laser and the upper surface of the second substrate ranges from 0.1 μm to 200 μm.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the laser is irradiated at a frequency of 1 kHz to 10 MHz for a period of 10 fs (femto-sec) to 50 ps (pico-sec).

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the fusion region is located across the sealing member and the second substrate and is spaced apart from the first substrate.

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein bonding the first substrate and the second substrate comprises filling a frit crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate, firing the frit crystal, and then melting the frit crystal to form the sealing member.

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